The 22-year-old South Korean player Jung Yoo-young has quietly reached the final of the German Cup with bundesliga dark horse team Freiburg and set a new Asian player competition record. The German Cup is no stranger to Asian players, and is even somewhat familiar. Yes, because Asian players stay in Germany, especially the Bundesliga, have the longest history in European football leagues, so the German Cup has also become a broad stage for Asian players to show their strength.
As early as 1978, the then 26-year-old Japanese player Yasuhiko Okuter started in the Final of the German Cup in April of that year, and won the cup with Cologne against Düsseldorf. Yasuhiko Okuji was not only the first Asian player to land in the Bundesliga, but also the first Asian to win the Bundesliga and the German Cup, and the first Asian to score in the Champions League (UEFA Champions League). At that time, he became a main member of the German Cup winner team, and for a time became the number one news sensation in Asian football.
In the more than 40 years since then, nine more Asian players have stood on the stage of the German Cup final. Among them was South Korean celebrity Van Geun, who scored in the 1981 German Cup final, and his goal helped Frankfurt win the title, becoming the first Asian player to score in the final of the German Cup. After Che Fangen, 18 years later, Iranian striker Ali Dei rushed to the Final of the German Cup, but he came off the bench in the 1999 final and failed to help Bayern save the game and eventually finished second. In the 2006 German Cup final, Che Fangen's son, Che Fangen, sat on the bench for Eintracht Frankfurt and won a silver medal.
The real Asian king of the German Cup also comes from Japan, and the Japanese star Shinji Kagawa, who was red in Dortmund that year, has appeared in the 2012, 2015, 2016 and 2017 4 German Cup finals, including 3 starts, 1 off-the-bench appearance, and scored a goal in the 2012 German Cup final. Winning the German Cup twice is also a record for an Asian player.
During this period, Japanese stars such as Takatoshi Uchida, Takatoku Sakai, and Shinji Okazaki also appeared as substitutes in the German Cup final. The most recent player to win the German Cup was veteran Makoto Hasebe, who started for Eintracht Frankfurt in 2018, and at the age of 34, he became the oldest Asian player to win the German Cup. Since the 2011 German Cup final, Asian players have achieved a big explosion in this competition. In the last 12 tournaments, counting Zheng Youying, who is about to participate, there have been 9 sessions of 11 people with a total of 7 Asian players appearing in the final. Therefore, the German Cup already has a clear "Asian Cup" attribute in a sense.
It is worth mentioning that in the 2011 German Cup final, Schalke beat Duisburg in 04 to win the championship, and japanese full-back Tatsuhito Uchida came on as a substitute in the second half, and Chinese player Arthur Junmin eventually became a member of the championship team. However, at that time, Arthur Junmin was not selected for the big list of the championship finals, but in the end, he "successfully lay on the crown". Like Arthur Junmin, who did not play in the final ,lying down" were Iranian stars Hashmian and Karimi who played for Bayern Munich in 2005 and 2006.
A year ago, Hwang became the latest Asian player to appear in the final of the German Cup, but unfortunately, his Red Bull Leipzig eventually lost to Borussia Dortmund, and the South Korean forward substitute failed to make a contribution. Today, Zheng Youying has also quietly created another new record for Asian players in the German Cup, that is, the youngest Asian player to participate in the Final of the German Cup is only 22 years old!
Finally, the secret news compiled a full list of 11 Asian players who have participated in the Final of the German Cup for more than 40 years (on the condition that they are selected for the tournament roster, at least sitting on the bench)
2021, Huang Xican, Red Bull Leipzig, substitute debut, runner-up;
2018, Makoto Hasebe, Frankfurt, starter, champion;
2017, Shinji Kagawa, Borussia Dortmund, starter, champion;
2016, Shinji Kagawa, Borussia Dortmund, substitute, runner-up;
2015, Shinji Kagawa, Borussia Dortmund, starter, runner-up
2013, Takatoku Sakai, Shinji Okazaki, Stuttgart, substitute, runner-up;
2012, Shinji Kagawa, Borussia Dortmund, started with 1 goal, champion;
2011, Tachoto Uchida, Schalke 04, substitute appearance, champion;
(Arthur Junmin, did not enter the big list to win the medal)
2006, Cheduri, Frankfurt, substitute did not appear, runner-up;
1999, Ali Dei, Bayern, substitute, runner-up;
1981, Che Vangen, Frankfurt, started with 1 goal, champion;
1980, Yasuhiko Okuter, Cologne, substitute, runner-up;
1978, Yasuhiko Okuter, Cologne, starter, champion.